Regional Planning Effort - Example

NAME: STUDENT NUMBER: INSTRUCTOR: INSTITUTION: TOPIC: DATE: INTRODUCTION Regional planning involves the efficient placement of infrastructure, land use activities and settlement growth across an area of larger than a town or city and is closely linked to urban planning. Over the years, regional planning has been used by the Australian government to ensure the continued growth and development of its regions. However, any plans concerning a region in relation to land use, population growth and so forth would be ineffective if it did not factor in environmental concerns as economic growth is pointless if it results in environmental damage. It is with this in mind that the following essay will analyze the Draft South East Queensland Regional Plan 2009-2031 from an environmental angle. The essay will achieve this within four broad sections. The first section outlines the objectives of the Draft South East Queensland Regional Plan 2009-2031. Section 2 then proposes some environmental economic tools which could be useful in implementing this plan. Section three further analyzes some of the environmental policy instruments that have been used in the plan. Section four then rounds up the discussion by delving into the other environmental policy instruments that could be useful in the implementation of this plan. The general thrust of this discussion is that environmental economics is necessary for the success of any regional plan and various examples of why this is so are given throughout the paper. SECTION 1: THE OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF THE DRAFT SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND REGIONAL PLAN 2009-2031 The Draft South East Queensland Regional Plan 2009-2031 has as its main objective “to manage regional growth and change in the most sustainable way to protect and enhance the quality of life in the region” (Queensland Government- Department of Infrastructure and Planning, 2009). This is mainly as a result of the remarkable economic and population growth it has been experiencing in recent years. The Draft Plan aims to fulfill this objective by effectively dealing with existing regional growth management issues which include the continued high population growth, transport congestion, housing affordability, urban sprawl and climate change. All this will be accomplished by pursuing a developmental agenda from an environmentally viable angle to ensure that SEQ remains the wonderful region that it has been both now and in the future. SECTION 2: THE ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMIC TOOLS WHICH COULD BE USEFUL IN IMPLEMENTING THE PLAN An integral aspect of environmental economics is the use of environmental economic tools necessary in improving the environmental performance of a region while at the same time ensuring that there is still sustained economic growth. The population growth in SEQ creates challenges pertaining to land use, problems with climate change, urbanization, the infrastructure, and water management among other issues. Such challenges need to be dealt with using of various environmental economic tools. One such environmental economic tool that could be used is the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) tool. Life Cycle Analysis refers to the investigation of the impact of an activity, process or product on the environment during its entire life-cycle, from resource extraction to post-consumer waste disposal (The Porter Alliance, 2009). As such, it can be used in helping the authorities to determine how to go about resource allocation within the SEQ. Moreover, it is a useful tool in predicting the impact of a regions changing population on the demand for energy resource supplies. A Life Cycle Impact Assessment assesses the effects of the environmental findings identified in the inventory while the Life Cycle Improvement Analysis searches for ways to lessen the negative environmental effects of the activities, products and processes (Svoboda 1995, 2). This will be very necessary for parts D1 (Sustainability and climate change); D2 (Natural environment); D4 (Natural resources); and part D11 (Water management) of the Draft South East Queensland Regional Plan 2009-2031. SEQ regional authorities need to vigorously implement a Life Cycle Inventory together with any existing related legislation so as to adequately ensure that all the human activities taking place within SEQ and the products being manufactured in all industries/ factories are eco- friendly. Apart from LCA, an Ecological Footprint Analysis would be another good environmental economic tool. Best Foot Forward (2009) defines the ecological footprint analysis as a mathematical tool used to calculate or estimate the ecological footprint of a city, region, economy, or any other entity. It serves as a resonant sustainability indicator by unmistakably connecting consumption with the Earth’s carrying capacity thereby highlighting where consumption is exceeding environmental limits. An Ecological Footprint Analysis factors in areas such as housing, waste and recycling, land use, roads, electricity and natural gas use, transportation and vehicles, gasoline and diesel use, and so on. As such, it would be very useful in Part B (Regional vision and strategic directions) of the Draft Plan particularly since part of the aim of Part B is that “the SEQ region is to be managed in a sustainable way by reducing the region’s ecological footprint while enhancing its economy and its residents’ quality of life” (Queensland Government- Department of Infrastructure and Planning, 2009). It will likewise be useful in parts C, D1, D2, D8, D10 and D11 in ensuring that all activities undertaken in SEQ do not surpass the recommended ecological footprint of the region. In addition, material and energy flow analysis is yet another environmental economic tool that could be used to implement this Plan. A Materials Flow Analysis (MFA) studies how materials and energy flow into, throughout, and out of a system (The UWME Design for Environment Lab, 2006). It measures the impact on the environment of activities such as the extraction, transformation, recycling, production, consumption and disposal of materials within a system by linking environmental problems to human activities thereby proposing appropriate management measures. Such knowledge is crucial in resource allocation as the authorities will be able to know which natural resources should be extracted and where exactly in SEQ such extraction would be appropriate. In this Draft Plan, MFA will be crucial in Part D4 (Natural resources) and Part D11 (Water management) since it’s very useful in identifying wastes because its main purpose is to reduce the flow of materials while increasing the human welfare generated by the flow. (The Sustainable Scale Project, 2003) A Cost/ benefit analysis is another tool that the plan could use. Cost-benefit analysis is a method that provides an organizational framework for identifying, quantifying, and comparing the costs and benefits of a proposed policy (QLD EPA, Inter-Departmental Committee on Environmental Economic Valuation, 2003). In environmental terms, a project is only approved if the environmental costs do not outweigh the benefits. A CBA includes the economic costs of environmental damage while at the same time comparing an existing proposal with an alternative, less environmentally damaging proposal that has hitherto not been considered (Le Quesne and McNally, 2004). As a tool, while being generally useful, it is particularly effective in dealing with land use and will thus be of great benefit to Part C (Regional land use pattern). SECTION 3: THE ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY INSTRUMENTS USED IN THE PLAN In terms of a policy framework, the Draft South East Queensland Regional Plan 2009-2031 is very general and does not mention actual policies and Acts it intends to use in its implementation. That said, while not specifically outlined in the Draft Plan, there are several environmental policy instruments that can be inferenced. The Draft Plan largely makes use of market- based instruments as opposed to regulatory (“command and control”) instruments since market- based ones largely allow a greater amount of environmentally friendly provisions such as pollution cleanup at the least overall cost to society. This is, for example, through the provision of incentives for the greatest reductions in pollution by those companies that can achieve these reductions at the cheapest cost (Stavins, 2001). One such instrument is the demand management principle proposed in Part D10: Infrastructure of the draft. The demand management principle is an example of a market- based instrument and involves measures such as pricing and taxes (Ayres, 1998). In Part D, it expounds on how this instrument will primarily focus on water, transport, energy, built and other infrastructure planning. The main objective of this demand management will be to make better use of the existing infrastructure in SEQ by modifying consumer behaviour instead of using the scarce regional finances and environmental resources towards new infrastructure. While being market based, demand management can also be regulatory and include the use of various tools such as social planning, economic and regulatory tools, for instance: incentive or educational measures to cause voluntary changes to consumer behaviour such as pricing measures reflecting the true cost of products/ services and so on. Another environmental policy instrument that has been used in this Draft Plan is The regulatory environmental policy instruments used in this Draft Plan are contained in Part F (Regulatory Provisions). Specifically, some of the measures to be adopted and that are found in Division 3 include the limited permitted use a variety of different types of land in Landscape and Rural Production Areas. These include sport and recreation, tourist, community and indoor recreation activities. In addition, these regulations stipulate that these some of these activities are no longer defined as urban activities and they include regulations such as “incidental commercial or retail activity up to no more than 2500m2 (not impact assessable)” or “tourist activities and short term tourist accommodation for up to 100 persons (not impact assessable)”. Such regulatory instruments are necessary in ensuring appropriate land use and the prevention of urban scrawl and overcrowding amongst other environmental vices. In Part D (concerning the Regional Landscape and Rural Production Area), yet another instrument is found as pertaining to the changes to the rural planning policy where changes have been made in terms of loosening planning controls. It stipulates that the responsibility for preserving agricultural lands and rural enterprises to Councils. This shows a significant change whereby there is a change in the regulatory controls to a more loosened market- based type of policy with regards to rural planning within the SEQ. SECTION 4: ADDITIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY INSTRUMENTS THAT COULD BE USEFUL FOR THE PLAN The greatest weakness of the Draft South East Queensland Regional Plan 2009-2031 is that it’s very general in terms of the policies outlined. As such, there are several other environmental policy instruments that would be very useful in giving this plan some “teeth”. One such instrument is the use of taxes in ensuring that companies and businesses adhere to strict rules. Known as eco tax or environmental taxes, these will be very useful in ensuring that business practices in SEQ are eco friendly. For instance, it is common knowledge that one of the sectors that contribute adversely to negative air emissions is the energy sector (COWI Consulting Engineers and Planners AS, 2000). Therefore, it would be appropriate for an energy tax to be imposed on businesses within the energy sector so as to effectively regulate air pollution. Product taxes and emission taxes should also be introduced on products and factories that create a lot of pollution or that are not biodegradable to mitigate the effects of these products on the environment. Environmentally motivated subsidies are likewise important instruments that this plan could use. Of necessity, they must be off-budget subsidies such as preferential tax treatments. In this plan, such subsidies should be used in parts D1 (Sustainability and climate change); D4 (Natural resources); and D11 (Water management). This is because subsides are mainly applicable in the areas of monitoring the environment, biodiversity, energy efficiency and R&D for new energy technology (Palm, V and Steinbach, N, 2008). Such subsidies will encourage more companies in SEQ to engage in eco friendly practices thereby fulfilling the plans vision with regards to climate change and the environment contained in Part D1 (Sustainability and climate change) A last instrument that can be used is deposit- refund schemes that provide people with a disincentive to dump empty containers or used products (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, 2002). This will be crucial in preventing pollution with SEQ and is highly effective since it involves the companies by positively engaging with them as opposed to imposing taxes. If incorporated in the plan, it will go a long way in cleaning up the SEQ environment. . CONCLUSION This essay has shown that environmental factors are integral to any regional planning effort. It is evident that to achieve its aim of continued growth and development, the Draft South East Queensland Regional Plan 2009-2031 requires economic tools such as the Life Cycle Analysis, Ecological Footprint Analysis, Materials and Energy Analysis and Cost Benefit Analysis to properly assess how to go about resource allocation and overall public policy decision making. The importance of environmental policy instruments has also been demonstrated by identifying the instruments used in the plan and the additional ones that can be used. If a balance between economics and the environment is struck, the draft plan will go a long way in ensuring the continued development of the SEQ region. REFERENCES Ayres, R. U et.al. 1998. Eco-restructuring: Implications for sustainable development. Accessed on the 12th of May, 2009 from http://www.unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/uu24ee/uu24ee0v.htm Best Foot Forward. 2009. Ecological Foot printing. Accessed on the 12th of May, 2009 from http://www.bestfootforward.com/ecological_footprinting COWI Consulting Engineers and Planners AS. 2000. Economic Instruments in Environmental Protection in Denmark. Accessed on the 12th of May, 2009 from http://www.ask.com/bar?q=examples+of+environmental+economic+instruments&page=1&qsrc=121&ab=6&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mst.dk%2Fudgiv%2Fpublications%2F2000%2F87-7909-568-2%2Fhtml%2Fkap05_eng.htm Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. 2002. Types of Environmental Policy Instruments. Accessed on the 13th of May, 2009 from http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/environment/water/csf/reports/pdf/dwpa03.pdf Le Quesne, Tom and McNally, Richard. 2004. Decision-making tools: cost-benefit analysis-The Green Buck. WWF-UK. Accessed on the 12th of May, 2009 from http://smap.ew.eea.europa.eu/media_server/files/M/b/the_green_buck.pdf Palm, V and Steinbach, N. 2008. Statistics Sweden. Eurostat. Accessed on the 12th of May, 2009 from http://www.unstats.un.org/unsd/envAccounting/londongroup/meeting13 QLD EPA, Inter-Departmental Committee on Environmental Economic Valuation. 2003. Environmental Economic Valuation An introductory guide for policy-makers and practitioners. Queensland Environment Protection Agency: Brisbane. Queensland Government- Department of Infrastructure and Planning. 2009. Draft South East Queensland Regional Plan 2009-2031. Accessed on the 13th of May, 2009 from http://www.dip.qld.gov.au/regional-planning/draft-regional-plan-2009-2031.html Stavins, R. N. 2001. Experience with Market-Based Environmental Policy Instruments. Accessed on the 13th of May, 2009 http://www.rff.org/documents/RFF-DP-01-58.pdf Svoboda, S. 1995. Note on Life Cycle Analysis. University of Michigan Corporate Environmental Management Program (CEMP). Accessed on the 12th of May, 2009 from http://www.umich.edu/~nppcpub/resources/compendia/CORPpdfs/CORPlca.pdf The Porter Alliance: from plants to energy and materials. 2009. Glossary. Accessed on 12th May, 2009 from http://www.porteralliance.org.uk/8.html The Sustainable Scale Project. 2003. Material Flow Analysis. Accessed on the 13th of May, 2009 from http://www.sustainablescale.org/ConceptualFramework/UnderstandingScale/MeasuringScale/MaterialFlowAnalysis.aspx The UWME Design for Environment Lab. 2006. Materials Flow Analysis. University Of Washington College of Engineering. Accessed on the 12th of May, 2009 from http://faculty.washington.edu/cooperjs/Definitions/materials_flow_analysis.htm 3 Read More